Though I grew up in Upstate New York, I'm influenced by my years spent in urban environments during college and afterwards by my travels to Kenya, Malaysia, and now Seychelles; that, I think, shows up in my illustrations, paintings, and sculptures. When I'm creating I try to have a visual conversation with the viewer, to make a connection, to tell a story, or share a thought. I like it when the viewer leaves with a positive memory to keep. Because I've been illustrating since 1987, storytelling through a single image is like a second nature now.It almost comes naturally, of course with some help from a good cup of coffee and Dave Matthews music playing at the background.My illustrative instinct flows into my paintings and Ilike it. My art background is a good conglomeration of years of cartoon watching, the fact that I think in pictures since I am a diagnosed dyslexic, from the George Washington University where I earned a BA in 1983 and an MFA in 1987, and of course with every project I get into I learn new things and grow more as an artist. My clients include New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Carter Center, Scholastic Magazine, Sports illustrated, The Atlanta Hawks, Discovery Channel, Turner Networks, The George Washington University, Penn State University, Emory University, University of Iowa Press, Avon, UPS, FedEx, Coca Cola, and Education Week.